HPMOR Final Exam Solution
by SaxifrageRussell
Summary: My solution to HPMOR's final exam from over a year ago.
1. Solution

Harry shivered, which was only natural given the situation, but he did it quite deliberately. As he did so, his wand moved ever so slightly so that the tip rested lightly against his leg. At the same moment, he began speaking, drawing attention away from his wand.

 _"Teacher. Did not try to desstroy your true life, before. Had made decission the insstant you sstarted sscreaming. Decided that killing your body, delaying you for a time while you ssought hosst, wass a good idea. Sso I would have more time to devisse sstrategy to defeat you. Plan wass already sset in motion before you ssaid you were vulnerable. Your cursse iss only disspelled if I sseek to end your true life"_

Harry was babbling. Voldemort would think it stress, but the truth was Harry needed time. He had a Transfiguration to perform, and he could not perform it in under sixty seconds. The instant his wand had touched his leg, Harry had begun visualizing the form of steel as a pure abstraction apart from any material steel, and was now imposing that substance on the shape of a thin sliver of skin cells running down his leg into the ground, continuing into the shape of a thin line running through the ground and splitting thirty-six ways, to then continue up through the material of the Death Eater's shoes and robes until finally it was the shape of a thin disk of flesh and bone bisecting the neck of each of the robed figures.

Every part of the shape was as thin as Harry could make it, and so the volume was not great, but it was still difficult for a first year, and Harry needed to delay his death until he could complete it. His statement about his intentions in Parseltongue had been deliberately vague, to force Voldemort to take the time to probe him further. While he had not thought he would truly kill Voldemort when he had decided to shoot him, Voldemort's exclamation that his Horcruxes had stopped working _had_ caused Harry to hope that it was true, and that he might have a chance to end his enemy permanently.

That probably meant that the Riddle curse was indeed broken, but Voldemort would have to waste a few seconds asking him about his intentions at the last moment, but Harry would take as long as he dared evading, before finally admitting the truth. Then Voldemort would angrily hiss that the curse was still broken, and demand Harry's secrets from him one last time. Harry would delay as long as he dared, before beginning to explain about Dementors and the Patronus Charm. Harry would then explain his secrets in as much detail as he could, buying as much time as he could, as he continued to concentrate on the abstract from of steel.

...

...

Several minutes later, as Harry was just beginning to run out of relatively safe secrets to tell, and wondering if he should start explaining timeless physics, his Transfiguration took hold.

 _Beneath the moonlight glints a tiny fragment of silver, a fraction of a line decapitating thirty-six Death Eaters..._

 _(black robes, falling)_

 _...blood spills out in litres, and someone screams a word._

"WHAT?!" screamed Voldemort, in utter shock as his Death Eaters fell in a shower of blood. He hesitated barely a moment before firing on Harry. But that brief surprise was long enough for Harry to activate the second half of his shaped partial Transfiguration, and a sheet of kevlar burst upwards from the line in the ground Harry had been Transfiguring, just as Harry threw himself to the ground behind it.

The bullets impacted the kevlar with a dull thud, there was a pause in the shots, and Harry burst out from behind his cover sprinting as fast as he could perpendicular to the floating Voldemort.

 _Oh please let him not be an expert marksman, please let him take a second to aim._

As Voldemort took a moment to adjust his aim to the moving target, Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort and cried "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Voldemort tried to dodge, but the Hover Charm was a continuous beam and much easier to aim than most spells, and Harry brought his magic into contact with the Dark Lord.

The pain was incredible, and Harry screamed, his hand flying to his now bleeding scar. But just as on that fateful day in 1981, the resonance between their magics affected the older, more powerful Riddle to a much greater extent. Voldemort had far more magic to fuel the resonance than Harry did, and Voldemort screamed a high, piercing scream as he caught fire. The burnt husk of his body fell to the ground.

Harry did not know how much time he had just bought himself. He needed to gather up Hermione and his quest items and return to Hogwarts immediately, to begin sounding the alarm. He approached the altar on which Hermione was beginning to wake.

"Um, Hermione?" Harry said in a very small voice. "I think I owe you a really, really, really big apology."


	2. Sax & Luminor

**Chapter 1 - Luminor**

 _ **In which Sax feels sorry for himself**_

Luminor, City of Light and Magic, is an artistic masterpiece. With it's population of almost thirty thousand inhabitants, it is one of the largest Elven cities. Human cities are more populous, of course, but that is because humans breed like rabbits. Elves are more... civilized about such things. They strive for harmony with nature, rather than multiplying uncontrollably and spreading across the land like a plague.

 **However, although Luminor has few inhabitants by human standards, it is as large as any human city. Elves require space and comfort. They would never allow themselves to be packed together like cattle (not that Elves raise cattle).**

 _Luminor sits at the center of a vast and ancient forest. The forest is powerfully magical, and strongly Good-aligned. It is full of wondrous Good creatures - centaurs, unicorns, nymphs, dryads, and of course the Sun Elves themselves - the most ancient and noble of all the Elven subraces._

The city was part of the forest. There was no sense in which the city could be viewed as an intrusion - an artificial construction of stone and metal that disturbed the forest's natural beauty. Rather, it seemed as if the city was the purest expression of that ancient and elemental beauty, raised to a new level and given form by Elven magic and artistry.

At least, that was how it had always seemed to Saxifrage Amastacia-Liadon, who now stood atop the tallest tower in Luminor, his hands resting upon the short stone parapet which ringed the rooftop, eyes closed and nose upturned to inhale the fresh dawn air.

All morning, he had been thinking about Luminor. He had lived here for all 120 years of his young life, but in some ways it seemed as if this was the first time he had really noticed the city. The delicate fluted spires that reached towards the heavens, the majestic skybridges between them, the deer grazing by the lake - which, even at this early hour had several young elves, and even a couple of nymphs bathing and frolicking in its cool waters.

Sax sighed. He was going to miss the lake. And the nymphs. That was, of course, the reason why he was thinking so much about his homeland on that particular morning. He was leaving. In just a few short hours the Sending would begin. The ancient ceremony occurred only once every five decades, at high noon on the summer solstice. This time, Saxifrage would be riding out with the other Seekers, to begin a century long quest for knowledge and strength.

Last night, he had held Amaranth - his beautiful Amaranth - in his arms, for what he feared would be the last time. "Don't look so glum", she had told him. "Being chosen as a Seeker is a very great honour. A century isn't so very long, and I will be here waiting for you upon your return". She had smiled then, and kissed him. But Sax was certain he could sense the sadness behind her words. They both knew that things would change between them after so much time apart, though neither of them dared say it aloud.

Sax shook his head, trying to dispel his melancholy. He had made his decision.

Trying to back out of the Sending now would bring shame to both him and his family.

Not to mention that it would be a betrayal of Corvin, his dear friend for the past ten years.

Sax had promised Corvin that he would accompany him when he returned to human lands.

Sun Elves rarely leave their lands.

They do not possess the same insatiable wanderlust that drives their cousins, the Moon elves.

Sun Elf cities like Luminor are the most beautiful, peaceful places on Earth. They are paradise.

Sun Elves strive for perfection in all things - artistry, learning, magic, physical prowess, culture, love... Think of any of the things that make life worth living, and you will find their peak in Luminor.

Of course Sun Elves did not leave their lands - no other place could ever compare.

However, it was an unfortunate fact that they could not simply ignore the outside world. For if they did that, it would eventually intrude upon them, and destroy their paradise. The world is full of evil, and it is an eternal truth that evil shall always seek to destroy that which is fair and beautiful. Especially if the fair and beautiful are also weak or ignorant.

Hence, the Seekers. Although many in Luminor trained in the arts of battle, and sought to perfect their skills as Elves always do... After centuries of peace, it is easy to grow complacent - to view martial skill as simply another sport, or artistic display - and find yourself unprepared when a threat finally arrives. The truth is, it is impossible to become good at fighting evil without _actually_ fighting evil.

And so, every half century, a new generation of young Seekers are chosen from among those most talented in the arcane arts, or physical combat, and who embody the deepest values of Elven culture. They are Sent out into the world to Seek evil wherever it may be, and destroy it; to Seek any threat to the Elven race, and stop it; to Seek knowledge of all kinds, and return home with it, so that Elven society may grow.

Only a third of those who are Sent ever return. Those who do become the great leaders and teachers of the next generation, and they keep their civilization secure and vibrant. Being chosen as a Seeker was the greatest honour a young Sun Elf could hope for. Saxifrage's own father, Lord Amastacia, had been a Seeker centuries ago. He had always hoped that Sax would follow in his footsteps, especially when it became apparent that Sax possessed great natural magical aptitude. If he lived a thousand years, Sax would never forget how proud his father had been when Sax had told him the news. It was the only time in his life Sax had seen his father cry.

Remembering this reminded Sax of the enormous importance of what he was doing. His sense of duty and responsibility came back to him, and he felt ashamed for having felt sorry for himself earlier. "I'm doing this _because_ I love Luminor", he told himself. "I am doing this to protect that which is most precious to me. I will not fail. I will return, and I will keep Amaranth safe, and Father, and Mother, and everybody else! Leaving home for a little while is a small price to pay, for _that_.".

With his newfound resolve, he turned and climbed back down the ladder to finish his preparations, and get dressed. He would have to wear his most formal robes to the Sending, to respect the dignity of the solemn duty he was about to undertake.

 _...to be continued..._


End file.
